A New Kit in Town
by aralana765
Summary: Before the show takes place. A cat shows up in London, only to see Rum Tum Tugger having a conversation with Macavity. Macavity attacks the new queen, and she quickly joins the Jellicles to fight him. A better story than summary, I promise.
1. Macavity

The first time I saw Macavity was also my last. I never actually saw his face again. It was my first night in London. I had clambered off my ship that morning, looking for the place my father had told me about. With the day quickly fading, I looked for a place to sleep. I saw a small tree near the junkyard. The junkyard was my ultimate goal, but I wanted to enter fully awake. I crept over to the tree and found a small hole in the roots, small enough to hold a small cat like me. I was comfortable.

Suddenly, I heard approaching voices. I peaked out, keeping myself hidden in the shadows of the roots. Two very tall Toms were coming closer. One was a rough-looking Tom, but seemed more likely to smile than frown. He was all black except a brilliantly golden mane and a stripe of the same color around his waist. He was quite handsome. But it was the cat he was walking with that scared me. His face, his body, everything about him is burned into my memory. He was the bigger of the two, older, I think. He was bright red, and his beady black eyes shone unnaturally. He had extremely long claws, and a highly domed head. When he laughed suddenly, all the fur on my back stood straight up. I curled up further into the shadows, but I could still see them. The maned Tom walked toward the junkyard while the ginger cat kept along the road. I watched the handsome cat first. My mistake.

He kept at an even, calm, pace all the way to the entrance. There, he paused for a moment. He raised his nose to the air, and sniffed. He must have been able to smell me. He quickly glanced at the scary cat, then turned towards me. He stared into the depths of my little shelter. He saw me. Then he turned and strode into the junkyard. I looked for the red cat. He, too, paused to smell the air. He grinned in a way that sent a shiver down my spine. It was evil. But he kept walking until he had passed my tree and I could no longer see him. I breathed a sigh of relief. They had left me alone.

Just as I began to relax, something yanked me out of my hole and pressed me against the tree. The red cat held his paw in a way that pinned my neck tightly. But I forced my self to scream. Or in cat terms, to yowl! Then he pressed harder on my throat. I could only just breath. He laughed coldly.

"My cats could use a squeeze these days, and you seem to be a pretty, young thing, despite the freak coloring." So he had seen my stripes. They had a soft lilac tint, usually unnoticeable in the light of a setting sun. "Yes. You'll do quite nicely my sweet-". He froze. Slowly, with a scowl, he turned to look at something behind him. He let go of me with his arm, and I all but collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

I heard a voice filled with authority cry out "Macavity! This Queen isn't on your territory. Leave her be!"

I could here the hatred when the red cat replied "Ah my dear broth- forgive me, I forgot the title is useless now I have been 'banished'. But now, this Queen isn't on your territory either, Munkustrap!"

"She is more on ours than yours." The voices grew softer and further away. I saw a silver striped tabby yelling at Macavity. He seemed to be leading him away from me. Suddenly, I felt fur brush against mine, and paws reach under me to pick me up. I looked up at the cat mane. He carried me in his arms. I smiled slightly at the comfort, (I probably blushed also. He is SO handsome) but I was still scared. He had been talking with Macavity earlier. He noticed me staring at him and grinned.

"Meow." What was his first word to me. It wasn't the type of meow we cats use to confuse humans. It was supposed to be seductive. I heard someone running to catch up to us, and, I'm afraid to say, I freaked out. I clutched at the handsome cat's mane tightly in fear, and pulled myself closer to him. "Meow, Kitten!" he exclaimed. I guess I pulled too hard. "It's just Munkustrap." I turned slightly and saw the silver tabby. I slowly relaxed a little. I refused to let go of the mane, though. The two Toms walked us into the junkyard, but we obviously hadn't reached the right part. I buried my face into that gorgeous mane of gold, and, exhausted by fear and lack of sleep, I fell asleep in his arms.


	2. Vav and Rum

It was dark when I woke. I would guess it was around three in the morning, but it seemed I was the only one around even thinking of sleep. Cats of all ages were crossing a small clearing in the junkyard in small groups looking very busy. I sat up and looked around some more. I seemed to be sitting in the back of an old car. I stretched a bit, wondering what I should do when I heard voices. "…think we should let her sleep, Munk. The Poor kitten was scared to death. When you first ran up after we got her away from Macavity, she panicked. She wouldn't even let me put her down until she was completely asleep. She was too afraid. Who wouldn't be? But she's obviously not used to our hours and needs sleep."

"But we need to talk to Old Deuteronomy. The Jellicle ball is the night after tomorrows. He will know what to do, how to handle this, all right Tugs? And don't get all protective. She's not yours. Just because she was scared for her life and you were the closest person who wasn't trying to kill her doesn't mean she's in love with you. Now I want to know why Macavity was so close the yard. Was he going to come in? Steal one of our Queens?"

The two Toms who had saved me were talking about me. The handsome cat with the mane wanted to let me sleep, the sweetheart. The silver tabby, Munkustrap I remembered, was the one talking about weird things like balls, Dooteromony, and Macavity, the red cat who attacked me. I crawled out of the car and trotted over to them. My handsome cat grinned recklessly.

"Meow Kitten. You look better." I smiled at him.

"Yeah. You didn't catch me at one of my better moments." I glanced at the tabby.

"Good. You're awake now. We didn't have to wake you up. I don't think you would have liked our wake up call." He said with a grin. I hadn't noticed before, but he was a very good-looking Tom also. "My name is Munkustrap. I'd love to stay and chat," his smile sunk slightly, "but I have to tell Old Deuteronomy that you're up so he can decide what to do about the ball."

"Umm…" I began. "Ask who about what now?" He smiled slightly. "Old Deuteronomy is the leader of the Jellicles." I must have looked as confused as I felt because he rolled his eyes and shoved the cat with the mane. "You explain, please. I'll be right back." Munkustrap waved as he left. Now I was alone with my handsome Tom. He looked me up and down lowly.

"What's you name, purple Kitten?" I scowled at him. "I'm not a kitten. I'm no more than a month younger than you. And my stripes are not purple. They are_ lilac. _My name is Dovavalana. My Da and the other cats on my ship called me Dove, or Lana." His eyes danced. "Oh! A ship Kitten." I opened my mouth to protest but he beat me to it. "I'm not saying you're young, Kit. That's just gonna be your public nickname. You see, I have two names for almost every cat. A public, and a private. I will call you Kitten when there are other cats around. But for your private nickname…" He thought for a moment. "Has anyone ever called you Vav before?" I shook my head no. "All right. That's your nickname for just between us." I thought about it. "But why? Why a new name?" He grinned at me. "A new name for a new friend." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, hooking his 'thumbs' on his belt. I looked into his eyes. "So what do I call you, Tugs?" He was obviously startled. "How do you know that name? Only three groups of people get to use that name: best friends, worst enemies, and family." I told him I heard Munkustrap use the name earlier. "So which of the three is Munkustrap?" He laughed. "All three, of course!" I frowned. "Enemy?" "Come on Vav. You're the new Kit in town, and a lovely one at that. We both want to cozy up to you. He's my competition. Alonzo will start too, I'm sure." This Tom was flirting with me! "Well, if your not going to tell me anything, maybe I should go find him-"

"Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat," a warm female voice said. A red Queen walked up. "So you're the new girl? I'm Bombalurina. If he gets too annoying, send him to me," she said, poking him in the stomach. She walked away, waving. I looked up at my Handsome Tom for confirmation.

"Yes, my name is Rum Tum Tugger. Most just call me Tugger, though. And Bomba is just busy with the Ball coming up." I decided I could wait and ask about 'ball' later. But he definitely needed a new nickname from me. "Rum Tum Tugger _is_ a bit of a mouthful. I'm going to call you Rum. Privately." I saw him begin to protest, but it was my turn to cut him off. "A new name for a new friend." He was stumped. He couldn't argue against his own idea. Finally he asked "Why Rum?" I grinned, the grin my Da called Wicked. "On the ship, the human men would have a drink of something called rum. When they had enough, they acted different. Stupid, even, especially around women. Just like your acting right now in fact." I giggled at his offense, but it soon turned to a full out laugh, and he joined me.


	3. Grizabella

**Alright. I apologize for the delay. I had finals, then family in town, then a new semester at school to start. Anyway, I don't own anyone in this story except Vav, my purple striped- I mean _lilac_ striped Kit.**

When our laughing died down, I remembered what Rum was supposed to tell me about. "So Rum. What is a Jellicle Cat? And who is Old Doo-What's-His-Face?" Rum grinned.

"Old Deuteronomy," he corrected. "And we are all Jellicle Cats. That's what this tribe is. There's a poem we say every year at the Jellicle Ball. I'll explain what the ball is later. Anyway, the poem gives a basic recipe for a Jellicle." He stood up straight, and in a very proper, high society tone of voice.

"Jellicle cats are black and white

Jellicle cats are rather small

Jellicle cats are merry and bright

And pleasant to hear when we caterwaul

Jellicle cats have cheerful faces

Jellicle cats have bright black eyes

We like to practice our airs and graces

And wait for the Jellicle moon to rise

Jellicle cats develop slowly

Jellicle cats are not too big

Jellicle cats are roly-poly

We know how to dance a gavotte and a jig

Until the Jellicle moon appears

We make our toilette and take our repose

Jellicles wash behind their ears

Jellicles dry between their toes

Jellicle cats are black and white

Jellicle cats are of moderate size

Jellicles jump like a jumping jack

Jellicle cats have moonlit eyes

We're quiet enough in the morning hours

We're quiet enough in the afternoon

Reserving our terpsichorean powers

To dance by the light of the Jellicle moon

Jellicle cats are black and white

Jellicle cats (as we said) are small

If it happens to be a stormy night

We will practice a caper or two in the hall

If it happens the sun is shining bright

You would say we had nothing to do at all

We are resting and saving ourselves to be right

For the Jellicle moon and the Jellicle ball".

When he finally finished, he laughed at my stunned face.

"How do you remember all that?" I asked. His tail twitched. "With great difficulty. Now the Jellicle Ball happens once a year. Old Deuteronomy makes the Jellicle Choice, which basically means he picks which cats will go to the Heavyside Layer and can be reborn as a cat again. We all show ourselves off for a chance to get picked." I thought about what he said. We sat in almost silence, waiting for Munkustrap, interrupted only by Rum occasionally pointing out a cat and telling me his or her name every so often.

"That's Alonzo, Munkustrap's best friend. And that, over there in the shadows, is Demeter, Bombalurina's little sister. She doesn't like me." More silence, then "So purple-striped Vav, why did you get off your boat?"

I rolled my eyes. "First Rum, my stripes are not purple. They are _lilac_. Second, It was not a boat, it was a ship." He grinned at my corrections, so I continued. "I was born and raised on that ship, but I never met my Ma. She died giving birth to me. I was brought up by my Da, Aunt Cookie, and Uncle J. They aren't really my Aunt and Uncle. They aren't even cats. Aunt Cookie is a Border Collie. Uncle J is a Great Dane. Both are dogs. Any way, I traveled on the ship, getting off in port and exploring, wanting adventure, but I always got back on. Then one day, Da told me about a tribe of cats he once met in a London Junkyard. He told me that they were "my kind of cat". When we arrived in London, I hugged Aunt Cookie and Uncle J and kissed my Da goodbye and set off to look for them. When I saw the Junkyard last night, I decided I would come by and check it out in the morning. Obviously, that didn't happen. But Da said the leader's name was Ol' Ron, not Deuteronomy. So do you know anyone by that name?"

Rum frowned. "I don't think I've ever met a 'Ron'." Suddenly, I heard someone running up behind us. I turned around and saw Munkustrap jog up.

"Old Deuteronomy is ready to meet the lovely new cat…?" "Dove. Dovavalana." He smiled and it lit up his face. "What a beautiful name." We walked back the way Munkustrap had just come from. I walked in the middle with Rum on my right and Munkustrap on my left. We joked as we went along. Or at least I did. They mostly flirted. We passed many cats and I was stunned by all the different colors and types of cats, all together in on place. I noticed a flash of silver through the patch of fence we walked past. An old queen leaned against it with longing. She wanted to come in, to join the celebration, I could tell. I looked at my escorts. "Who is that?" Both toms glanced up at the old queen. Rum's face hardened. Munkustrap scowled. "That's Grizabella" Rum said. Then Munkustrap added, "Formerly the so-called Glamour Cat. She's not allowed here." I was confused. She looked so sad. "Why isn't she?"

Munkustrap sighed. "She left the Jellicles. When we were young, she was assigned the job of taking care of my brothers and me. Bombalurina too. But she decided she was too important for a job like taking care of the kittens. So, she left us. Without anyone knowing. She stayed with Griddlebone for a while, and soon began working for Macavity. She 'tried' to leave him to come back, but she betrayed us once by leaving, and twice when she joined Him. She's not coming back." We kept walking until I couldn't see her. But then I could hear her. She had a hauntingly beautiful voice.

"Midnight. Not a sound from the pavement. Has the moon lost her memory? She is smiling alone. In the lamplight, the withered leaves collect at my feet. And the wind begins to moan."

**I know the story is starting to get slow-ish, but Old Deuteronomy is in the next chapter, along with some Tugger/ Munkustrap brother moments. Then the introductions, and lots of action. It's all coming soon! Any way, please review!**


	4. Old Deuteronomy

**So I'm really sorry about the long wait. I had family in town, then finals, then more school, plus no time. Anyway, an important decision will be made now. And by the way, Vav doesn't know about Munk, Rum, and Deuteronomy's family relationships to themselves (and of course another).**

Finally the three of us reached what could have been considered a doorway, with a curtain hung across it to act as the door. Munkustrap led the way, and then I entered with Tugger behind me. Munkustrap stepped forward and whispered something into a very large, very old, cat with his back to us. I must admit I was a little scared. Not scared like I was with Macavity, but scared because I didn't know what to expect. Was Old Deuteronomy strict? Or kind? Would he approve of my arrival? But then I saw the look on Rum's face. His smile was genuine, soft and eager, as though the only thing he wanted was to please this tom. If the Rum Tum Tugger liked a cat this much, I was sure I would too.

Munkustrap carefully helped the old tom to turn and face me. Old Deuteronomy had warm, shining black eyes. Munkustrap waved a hand to me. "This is Dovavalana. Dove, this is Old Deuteronomy."

The old tom smiled at me and I had to smile back. "Hello child," he said with a warm voice. "Have you recovered from earlier?" He seemed genuinely concerned, but I could not hold back a small shudder at the thought.

"I believe I have, sir. As much as I ever will." Old Deuteronomy looked me over, as though to see if I had been telling the truth.

Finally he said, "Do you live here in London, child?" I shook my head. "No sir." He looked carefully into my face, as though trying to place it. He looked at Munkustrap, who still stood at his side. "Find Skimbleshanks. I'm sure he can find a way to get her home." Munkustrap nodded, and headed towards the door. Rum stepped just into his way, placing a paw on the silver tabby's chest, shaking his dead.

"She just got here. She was looking for someone, trying to move here when _He_ found her." Old Deuteronomy and Munkustrap both turned to me, raising a single eyebrow. They looked so alike for a moment that I almost laughed. _They must be related_ I thought.

"Who where you looking for, Dove?" Munkustrap asked.

So I told them. "A tribe of cats, like the Jellicles, that my Da lived with for a while and long time ago. But the tom in charge went by Ol' Ron. And, um, who or what is Skimbleshanks?"

Old Deuteronomy laughed. "Skimble is the Cat of the Railway Train", he said. "Your father knew this tom only as Ron? Was your father known as Colossus to his family?" I looked up at him in surprise.

"Yes sir, he was. Did you know him?"

"I did, long ago. He came around and lived with the Jellicles for a spell. Your father could not say my name properly, no matter how hard he tried, the poor fellow. So I allowed him to Me Ron, so he could address me. You were looking for us. Would you like to stay here?" I looked between the three toms. Old Deuteronomy looked kind, but Munkustrap and Rum had identical looks of worry. They wanted me to stay. I smiled.

"Yes, please." The younger toms displayed obvious relief. Deuteronomy turned to face them.

"Tugger, take Dovavalana to see Bombalurina and Demeter. I'm sure they will be willing to let her stay with them until we find her a place for her own." Tugger nodded. When we turned to leave, Munkustrap stepped forward to join us. "Munkustrap, stay with me. I need to speak with you about something." Old Deuteronomy met Rum's eyes and for a moment it seemed as though they were speaking silently to only each other. Then Rum nodded. Munkustrap looked confused but went back to the old tom. Rum and I left, pulling the curtain closed behind us. I started to walk away, but Rum pulled me back. We hid in the shadows, just out of sight of someone coming out of Deuteronomy's home, but close enough that we could here what was being said inside. Rum held his paw up in the "shush" position. Old Deuteronomy spoke first. "Munkustrap, you now that I no longer have a successor as tribe leader. I'm going to give you that position. You will be Protector first, but when I have finally moved on to the Heavyside Layer, you will lead the Jellicles."

There was silence. "But what about Tugger? He's next in line. Won't he be upset?" Munkustrap's voice shook slightly. He seemed scared to lead.

"I have discussed this with him already. He agrees with my choice. In fact, he suggested you take the position. He felt you would lead better than he would."

"But Father-". Whoa. Father. Didn't know that.

"Your brother believes you are ready for the responsibility. He said he knows you will be a wonderful leader. He said he would follow you in your decisions."

"Tugger actually said that?" I glanced at Rum. Brothers. All right, so they were all one family. I still think it's weird. They don't look anything alike. "That seems so unlike him. And anyway, what if I don't think I'm ready?"

Deuteronomy spoke. "I think you are, Son." Silence again.

"You do?"

"Yes," Deuteronomy said in a comforting voice. "I do."

The room was silent once more as Munkustrap thought it over. "I accept, Father."

**So there it is. Chapter Four. Please review!**


	5. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer

**So this is my longest chapter so far. I have some angst here, but brotherly angst. Then my favorite 'cat burglers' show up. I apologize ahead of time for my not-skill of writing in a cockney accent. Please enjoy.**

Tugger nodded. He had heard enough. He pulled me away from the door, hurrying us away from Old Deuteronomy's home. He pushed me onto the tire in the middle of the clearing quickly, pulling himself up behind. He began speaking as Munkustrap turned the corner. "-and we all just laughed at him," he said, laughing at his supposed story. I laughed to, understanding that he wanted his brother to think we had been here the whole time, not eavesdropping. "Oh Brother Dear!" Rum shouted to him with a ridiculous grin. "There you are! Would you join me in escorting the beautiful Dove to Bomba's with me?" Munkustrap raised an eyebrow, slightly lighting up his solemn face.

"Why didn't you go already? Then we could show her around instead."

"Because you know as well as I do that Demeter will attack me as soon as look at me when you aren't there. Sometimes even when you are there." The Rum Tum Tugger seemed honestly afraid of this queen, Demeter. Munkustrap only rolled his eyes.

"While that _may_ be true-".

"There is no _may_ about it." Rum interrupted.

"I know you were listening Tugger." We were now walking in the opposite direction of Old Deuteronomy's house. Munkustrap and Rum lead the way, and I followed, close enough to hear them, but far enough that I wasn't involved.

"Listening to what, Oh Dear Brother of Mine?" Rum wore a face of complete innocence. Munkustrap rolled his eyes again, but otherwise just ignored the comment.

"So you recommended me for the position. I'm not sure I want everyone to look up to me like that. To depend on me."

Rum laughed. "Everyone already does look up to you. They do depend on you, haven't you noticed? That's one of the reasons you were a better choice than me." Munkustrap grinned.

"One of? As in, there are more? What were the other reasons Tug?" Now it was Rum's turn to roll his eyes.

"First, you're WAY more responsible than I am. I would let the tribe fall to ruin within a week of being in charge. We both know that." Both toms stopped walking, and Rum's smile faded, his laugh disappeared. "Second… Well, second, the other cats would never fully trust me to be in charge. I'm too much like Him." First, there was silence. Then a crack. It happened so fast it took me a moment to understand. Munkustrap had slapped his brother!

"Don't ever say that again. You are _nothing_ like him, understand? He is cruel and heartless. You are warm, and you care about the people you know, even if you don't show it like most people do." Rum looked at his brother in shock, whether from the slap or the words, I wasn't sure. I was glad they had forgotten about me. I didn't want to embarrass them. "You were close to him when you were kits. Most of us were. But you have grown up. You have become a wonderful tom. He is still an ignorant kit with nothing to live for but tormenting us. You are nothing like that _monster_, and you will never say that again Rum Tum Tugger."

Rum sighed. "It's fine Munk. I've heard the other cats say it. I know what they say about me.

"Never in front of me. I will find who said those things, and I will make sure they never say anything like it again. No one will say anything so stupid about my big brother." Tugger's face lost some of its moroseness. The brothers smiled at each other and grasped paws, sealing their unspoken deal.

"Nevah Fear! The Notorious Couple o' Cats is 'ere!" A male voice with a thick cockney accent shouted from behind me. I jumped, turning as I did. Cat instinct I suppose. There were two cats standing there, each with a bag over his or her shoulder. They seemed almost identical, from the goofy grins they wore to their stance. "Oh 'ello there newbie. We nevah met you before! When did she get 'ere?"

Munkustrap and Rum both rolled their eyes, perfectly in sync, and the tension quickly drained away. "Jerrie, Teazer, This is Dove. Dove, meet-"

"Come on Munky-me-lad!" the girl said. "Let us introduce ourselves! This is Marvelous Mungojerrie! And I'm the Remarkable Rumpleteazer! We're the best set o' twins you will ever have the 'onor o' meetin'. We're known as the Notorious Couple o' Cats. Speakin' of, would you like somefing pretty for 'round your neck? Somefing like my pearls 'ere. I might just have a jewel that matches your colorin' perfectly. This 'ere stone is called a amthist, the 'umans say." Rumpleteazer pulled a simple gold chain with a beautiful amethyst that did match my stripes. I was tempted to take it. But in my defense, I didn't know of their extensive reputation back then. "Come on Dovy! In fact, we will give it to you for free. No one else seems to wan' it." I reached my hand out to accept the gift, but Munkustrap pulled it back.

"No thank you Teazer. Dove doesn't need any stolen goods." Oh. They were stolen. Maybe that necklace wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

"Let the queen answer for herself Munks," Mungojerrie said. His sparkling eyes met mine. "So whadda ya say Lovy? Pardon, I meant Dove, o' course, quit your bristlin' boys." Both Rum and Munkustrap neck fur was standing tense. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Thank you both for the lovely gift," I said, still giggling. "But I don't think I can take something that's been stolen."

"That's the good part!" Teazer said defensively. "This'un ain't stolen! One o' few we found it outside a theater just wastin' away on the ground. We think they fell out o' some rich lady's bag. Would we evah lie t' you?"

The brothers rolled their eyes. "Yes." They said in unison.

"Well then, would we evah lie to someone who didn't know us well enough to expect it, 'specially if it's a beau'iful queen such as this? Nevah! We may be crook'd but we're still 'onorable." Jerrie seemed exasperated at the very thought of doing something wrong. "This necklace was found fair-an-square. It wasn't stolen from nobody!" I glance at my escorts. They scrutinized the twins, judging their honesty in this situation. Then they turned to me.

"I think they're telling the truth for once," Munkustrap said, sounding slightly shocked.

"Me too," Tugger added. "So I would take the jewel if I were you. They never give out free stuff. Their costs are sky high normally. Go for it." And I did.

We said our goodbyes to the Notorious Couple o' Cats and kept walking, laughing about the twins. We reached a small den within a few minutes and heard queen's voices inside. One I had heard before. The other two were foreign to me. Munkustrap stepped forward and pounded on the wall next to the curtain door. He stepped back suddenly and combed through the fur on his ears. He was grooming. I raised an eyebrow at him just as Rum began tease him. "Oh Munk. You're really worked up about Demeter? Of all the girls to go for, you pick the one who hates me. At least act like you don't care. They love that. At least Bomba does. And all the kittens. And just about all the other cats I've tried to impress. But not Dove, right?" He turned to me questioningly. Ummm…. How do you answer something like that? Luckily, just then, someone pulled the curtain aside. Munkustrap hurriedly put his hands down, pretending like he hadn't been grooming a moment before. The queen who opened the door was a little older than I had been expecting she was an orange tabby with stripes _and _spots.

Munkustrap grinned. "Jenny. What are you doing here?" Just out of this 'Jenny's' sight, Rum rolled his eyes. He held his paw up, opening and closing it to mimic Munkustrap. I barely managed to keep myself from laughing. Barely.

"Munkustrap, Tugger! What a surprise! I was just stopping by on the way to see Skimble. I was just leaving. But who is this lovely young thing?" I moved forward, smiling. I held out my paw, and we shook.

"My name is Dovavalana. Dove, for short. I just, er, arrived earlier this evening."

"Well Dove, I'm Jennyanydots, but most people just call me Jenny. I'm the resident Gumbie Cat." She must have seen my confused face, because she chuckled slightly, and continued. "I make sure everything is nice and neat and how it's supposed to around here. I taught the mice to sew (look at this coat they made me) and even managed to get the cockroaches organized. That's just my job, Dearie. Well it was nice to meet you, but I have to go meet Skimble. Good to see you, boys. Good by girls!" She shouted back into the den. Then she marched back the way we had come. Literally marched, as though she had her own drumbeat.

Rum and Munkustrap both indicated that I should enter the den first. I took a deep breath, and entered.

**OOH! That could be almost considered a cliffhanger! I hope you enjoyed the next chapter in A New Kit In Town. In fact, I think you should press that pretty little review button and tell me how much you did or did not like it, so I know how to improve... Just saying. **

**Aralana**


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